


Tasting Mischievously

by Ayzup



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Nate and Elena ship it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-03 23:59:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12157473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayzup/pseuds/Ayzup
Summary: A trip to the apple orchard with Nate, Elena, Cassie, and Sam yields unexpected - though not unwelcome - results





	Tasting Mischievously

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little fluff piece between the reader and Sam Drake that would take place after the main events of Uncharted 4 and before the epilogue.

You had been friends with Elena for a long time, since high school, and you had stayed in contact over the years since graduation. She was one of those people who you could go for months without talking and then when one of you finally picked up the phone again, it was like no time had passed at all. Within the past few months, you accepted a new job that required you to move, and to your pleasant surprise, your new apartment building was not too far from where Elena lived with her husband, Nate, and their daughter, Cassie.

Elena and Nate had you over for dinner at least once a week, and Elena and Cassie would stop by your place on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon - Cassie called you ‘Aunt Y/N’ and you had bought a few toys, games, and books so she would never be bored during her visits with her mom. Though you got along with pretty much everyone at your new office, it was nice to have a friend already in the area.

You came to learn more about Elena and Nate’s adventures and even met two of the people who had come up in conversation. Victor Sullivan, amiably called Sully, had only stopped by a couple of times, always with some sort of new information for Nate. Nate’s brother, Sam, came by much more frequently, almost as often as you. Elena had explained that the two brothers had not seen each other for over a dozen years, and they had a lot of catching up to do.

For someone who spent so long in a Panamanian jail, you thought, Sam Drake did an awfully good job of fitting into the domestic life Elena and Nate had built for themselves. He was especially good with his niece. He would play with her and read to her; he tried very hard to watch his language around her and usually stood in the driveway away from the house to smoke (unless it was raining).

“Family’s important,” Sam said to you one night when it was just the two of you sitting in the living room; Elena had to take a phone call and Nate was putting Cassie to bed. “Nate’s done a lot for me, and I’d do anything for him. And Elena and Cassie of course.” He paused and looked over at you, his head tilted slightly as though he was caught up in a thought. “And you too.”

You had blushed, in spite of yourself, and stammered out a joke about giving him a call the next time you got a flat tire. Sam laughed, and then Elena joined the two of you in the living room.

You would be lying if you said you were not attracted to Sam Drake. He was just your type: tall, funny, sarcastic and just a bit cocky, rough around the edges, but with a sweet side you were sure you would not have seen for yourself if you had met him outside of Elena and Nate’s introductions. You loved seeing that side of him, and you could tell that he was just as comfortable showing it to you as he was to Nate and Elena. However, even though you had feelings for him, you had absolutely no intention of acting on them and rocking the metaphorical boat. If things did not go the way you hoped and your actions created an awkward tension, you would never forgive yourself. It was best to just let it be.

~

Elena called you one day after you got home from work; she and nate were planning to take Cassie to a nearby orchard to pick apples this weekend. Cassie was supposed to go with her class, but she had gotten sick the day of the field trip, some weird flu bug. Her parents promised to make it up to her, and this Saturday was supposed to be beautiful. You said you would love to join them; you were always happy to be included in their family outings.

Saturday rolled around and the weather was indeed gorgeous. There was a slight crisp breeze that indicated autumn was just around the corner, so you decided to dress comfortably in a t-shirt, jeans, and hiking boots with a flannel shirt tied around your waist in case the wind got too chilly. You were supposed to meet up with Elena and Nate at their house and drive to the orchard together, so you made the short trip and parked on the street in front of their house.

“Aunt Y/N, Aunt Y/N!” Cassie squealed as you emerged from your car. She ran to greet you and you met her in the driveway, catching her in a hug and spinning her around in the way that always made her giggle.

“Well well, this is going to be quite the party now that Y/N’s here,” said Sam from where he was leaning against the minivan for which he teased his brother endlessly. He had on that denim jacket that was so uniquely him, and despite your internal self-cautions to not make your crush on him obvious, you could not deny that it made him look just a little sexier in that comfortable, carefree sort of way.

“One for the history books,” you replied with a grin.   
“Sam,” called Nate from where he was kneeling on the edge of the trunk, “You’re supposed to be helping me put the back seat down.” You suppressed a snort of laughter as the elder Drake brother rolled his eyes, but he went back to help anyway. Soon enough, the five of you were on your way. It was not a terribly long drive, about twenty minutes or so, but you were tightly packed in the middle row with Cassie and Sam, and due to Cassie’s car seat and Sam being a head taller than you, you were stuck in the middle. It was not so bad save for how acutely aware of Sam’s leg bouncing gently against your own. You were too limited to space to try and move, and he did not seem bothered by the contact, so you let it be.

“Have you ever done this before?” Sam asked you.

“Apple picking? Once in college with some friends. I remember it rained the night before, so everything was muddy,” you replied, wrinkling your nose at the memory of trying to wash mud off of your favorite sneakers. “How about you?”

Sam shook his head. “Never had the chance before today. Nate made it sound like fun, though.”

As soon as you arrived, it was clear that Nate was right; this was a great place for kids and families, and Cassie had already grabbed your hand to pull you toward whatever it was she wanted to do first.

Elena insisted on going out to pick apples first. It would be easier to gauge how much Cassie could handle before getting cranky that way. You all got into line and paid for your bags; you ended up getting the large one so you could get enough to bake treats for your co-workers. You noticed that Elena and Nate bought a large bag for themselves and a kid-sized bag for Cassie; Sam got a small bag and shoved it into the back pocket of his pants. Nate pulled Cassie along the path in one of those red wagons the business had available for people to rent, and your group headed toward the nearest open area. Elena had brought her camera to take pictures for Cassie to bring into her class, so while the family was busy with that, you decided to fill your bag before the preschooler once again commanded your attention.

You had to admit, it was nice being invited on family excursions such as this. When you were preparing to move for your job a few months ago, you realized you would not be able to see your parents and other relatives as often as you had been, so you were grateful for the inclusion into Elena and Nate’s lives. However, with this inclusion, sometimes you wondered if that was how Sam saw you as well: part of the family, perhaps even like a sister. You supposed you could not blame him if that was the case, but that did not mean you did not wish it were different.

Sam liked to tell you about his adventures, and no matter how farfetched they may seem, you liked hearing his stories. He led an interesting, thrilling life full of exploration and danger, much more than your own life. You wished for more excitement, and the way Sam recounted his travels to you, leaving behind the predictable life of an office girl to become a treasure hunter sounded more appealing than it probably should have.

You were rather lost in your train of thought, and you did not hear someone coming up behind you. You felt, instead, a strong pair of arms wrap themselves firmly around your hips, and then your feet left the ground. You squealed in surprise, and it took you a moment for your arms to stop flailing frantically from the sudden loss of balance on solid footing, but once you were sure gravity was not going to bring you crashing back down, you cast a glance downward only to be met with a familiar, roguish grin.

“Samuel Drake, what the heck are you doing?” you asked, trying very hard not to think about how close his head was to your backside.

“The best ones are at the top. I thought I’d give you a boost,” he replied. You giggled and shook your head.

“Alright, I’ll try to pick fast then so your arms don’t get tired.”

“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. I gotcha.” He winked at you and you hoped he did not catch your blush as you returned your attention to your task. Well, most of your attention anyway; it became awfully hard to focus on picking apples when you could feel the heat radiating from Sam’s arms and chest pressed against your hips and thighs. You felt so secure in his arms despite the notion that this was probably an awkward position in which to hold someone for an extended period of time, so it was with just a little reluctance when, all too soon, you said, “Okay, I think I’ve crammed about as many apples as can fit in here.”

“You sure?” Sam did not move, but he was giving you that same grin that sent tingles down your spine. “I’m pretty sure I could keep holding you up there for another, oh, hour or so.”

“I appreciate the offer, but my feet are starting to miss the ground,” you teased, wiggling your legs slightly in his grasp for emphasis.

“If you insist.” He gently lowered you to the ground, and when he straightened up, he did not step back like you thought he was going to. Instead, his proximity practically crowded you against the trees. You could feel his hands ghosting over your hips, but not quite resting there, and he was still smiling at you, though it was softer this time.

“Better?” he asked, his tone low, just barely above a whisper, and you could have sworn his gaze flicked down to your lips before-

“Can I get on your shoulders too, Uncle Sammy?” Cassie asked, her bright smile completely unaware of what she just interrupted. Sam laughed and turned his attention to his niece while you slipped around him and headed toward where Elena and Nate stood looking at the pictures they had taken.

“Did you get some good shots?” you asked as you set your bag next to theirs in the wagon.

“Oh yeah, some to send back to school with Cassie and some to hang up at the house,” Elena replied. She looked at you and smiled; the twinkle in her eye was difficult to decipher. “Are you having fun, Y/N?”

“This is great! Thank you so much for inviting me,” you replied.

“It wouldn’t be the same without you,” Nate assured you, patting you on the shoulder as he passed on the way to rein in his daughter and his brother.

“Cassie wants to go to the petting zoo next. Is that okay with you?” Elena stood next to you as the two of you watched the little girl giggle as Sam held her up even higher toward the tree in a test of Nate’s patience.

“I’m cool with anything she wants to do.”

It was not long before the five of you were headed back toward the main part of the orchard. Nate was pulling the wagon again, and he and Elena were holding Cassie’s hands between them. You and Sam walked behind; he had gotten you into a conversation about movies, which stemmed from his original question about your usual weekend plans. He walked rather close to you, and the back of your hand brushed against his a few times, but you did nothing but blush and continue talking; it was hard not to read too much into what was happening between the two of you today.

“Hey Nate,” Sam called as they started to veer toward the petting zoo. “Y/N and I can take all of that to the car and catch up with you in a few minutes.” You raised your eyebrows when he volunteered you, but Sam just winked and took the handle of the wagon from his brother. It was a short walk to the car and it took all of about twenty seconds to put four bags of apples in the trunk; it was certainly a one-person job in your mind. You leaned against the side of the minivan with your hands in the pockets of your jeans.

“You okay, sweetheart?”

Your heart skipped a beat when Sam dropped that new nickname a second time. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. I thought you might want a cigarette before heading back is all.” You watched as Sam patted his pockets.

“Didn’t bring ‘em, not around Cassie.” He paused and raised an eyebrow as though deciding on something important. “There’s something else I’ll have, though.”

Before you had the chance to even think about asking what he could possibly be talking about, Sam stepped toward you, cupped your face in both of his hands, and kissed you. You were too shocked to do anything before he pulled back, concern creasing his forehead, but he did not get too far before your brain started working again. You grabbed him by the front of his jacket and pulled him in for another kiss, this one more sure and definitely more heated. You could feel his tongue gently swiping at your lower lip, and you parted your lips to deepen the kiss. Only when the need to breathe became too much did you break apart, both gasping for air.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Sam told you; his grin was back, and this time, he was just as flushed as you were.

“Oh, I think I do.” You gave a light chuckle that was interrupted when he gave you another quick kiss. He then took your hand to lead you back to where the others were.

“You know, Y/N, you’re the reason why I came today. As much as I love my niece, this isn’t really my scene, but when Nate said you were coming, I thought this might be a good time to, you know, bond.” You were surprised by his confession, but no less pleased.

“I’m glad you came. Next time, you can pick where we go.” You looked up at him through your lashes, your gaze hopeful that whatever was happening was not going to end here. Sam gave your hand a squeeze.

“It’s a date.”

A few weeks later, you noticed that Elena had hung a few pictures from the trip to the apple orchard. Among them was one of Sam holding you up to reach the top of the tree; the look in his eyes as he stared up at you made your heart melt all over again.

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title comes from the song Step With Me by MIKA (because I'm MIKA trash).
> 
> Disclaimer: I've only played the first Uncharted game, so about 85% of my knowledge about this game series comes from things I've read and seen across the internet.
> 
> Characters are not mine, they belong to Naughty Dog, I'd really like to not end up in a Panamanian jail for this, blah blah blah
> 
> Tumblr: betweenlovelines


End file.
